Tourism review in the Cévennes: “We didn't work miracles, but we had a decent season”

The 10-hectare site includes 333 pitches including 190 bungalows.“We have loyal customers who are 75% French and 25% Belgian and Dutch. We started the season on May 2nd and we are closing this Sunday, September 1st. The results of our four months of activity are mixed. In May, with all the bank holidays, we worked very well. With the team of 40 employees, we were able to get into the swing of things. It was a kind of dress rehearsal before the high season. June was rather calm. This can be explained by the uncertain climate after the elections and the terrible weather. We can also think that the vacationers of May were not able to leave again in June. This is a period when everything is not yet in place for us, unlike at the seaside where we find night markets for example. We could work on this point with the partners. The start was a bit slow. We were full from July 14th. We are fully booked for bungalow rentals until closing time. I think that campsites are a good indicator of tourism. Often the traders in the valley call us and are able to tell us if we are full or not. They can feel it in their shops! In the end, I would say that it is not a record season, but we are satisfied with it given the general context."

3 David Durand potter of Terre Figuière

Equipped with a new 300 m2 building dedicated to manufacturing and storing orders, the Terre Figuière pottery with its ten employees continues its development.

“In September, we start work to make the park more pleasant, but this year, it's complicated”, admits David Durand, co-manager of the pottery with Lionel Garcia. The establishment is open year-round and does not rely entirely on the possible but always uncertain tourist bonanza.

“It is true that we saw a lot of people pass by, but I noticed that consumption was reduced. It is clear that people are watching their budget. We had a lot of Parisians, probably because of the Olympic Games, and Belgians.”

As for the Mialet campsite, the month of May turned out to be excellent. “We had an exceptional month, perhaps because of the bank holidays. We said to ourselves that if it starts like that, we're going to have a crazy season. But we quickly became disillusioned. June was okay, nothing more. The weather wasn't great. We didn't have great results, especially since then there was the Euro football championship, the elections, the Olympics, etc. I think that affected consumer morale. The months of July and August, that is to say, the high season, were not favorable. We don't really know why yet. We wonder. But we estimate the drop in activity at minus 20%. We are waiting for the official figures to know how the other sectors have fared."

The business leader is banking heavily on an extension of the season: "We are hoping for a good late season with the arrival of a slightly older clientele, and with slightly higher purchasing power. We will see…"

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